Automated external defibrillators (AEDs) are used by police officers, paramedics and other first-responder emergency medical technicians to resuscitate patients undergoing cardiac arrest. It is important that the AEDs carried by these technicians be continuously operational and ready for use on a moment's notice. It is essential that the technician be able to rely on the operability of the AED when responding to a cardiac arrest. Studies have shown that the chances of successfully resuscitating a patient decreases approximately ten percent per minute following cardiac arrest. Thus, it is vital to be able track and monitor the operation of the AED and its operators through various rescue events so that appropriate and timely responses by the AED and its operators may be ensured.
In the U.S., protocol guidelines for amplitude, duration, and the number of defibrillation shocks or pulses administered are provided by such organizations as the American Heart Association. However, protocol operating requirements may differ among locations inside and outside the U.S.
There is, therefore, a need for an AED with the capability for at least some of these operational parameters to be altered to meet specific requirements of a plurality of countries and organizations which have differing rescue protocols. There is a further need for an AED with the ability to record rescue information including patient data and the sound from a rescue event and to execute certain self-tests to ensure readiness for a rescue. Such alterations should be capable of being performed locally in the field after the AED has been delivered to the end user.